Darkness In Kind: Depthless
by acatlikefly
Summary: Five littermates. Four destinies. One death. The green-eyed littermates of ValleyClan. The hidden whispers between clanmates. Between kin. What have they gotten themselves into?
1. Prologue 1: A Quiet Awakening

_A tiny eye flutters open._

 _Then two._

 _All at once the dark world erupts in colour, light and darkness combining to create dancing shapes across the distant horizon. Colourful blocks and shapes move to the tune of the sounds around them, as though dancers in a carefully constructed orchestra._

 _The colours blur and change shape, as though unsure of what form to take. They focus and move and blur and focus again._

 _A heavy beating lies close. The calm, steady rhythm of safety and warmth._

 _A wriggle._

 _A pat._

 _One bleary eye takes a rest._

 _The transient blue gaze fixes upon its squirming companions, it does not know them yet, only as bundles of warmth and home._

 _One lies still._

 _The kitten doesn't notice._

 _A sharp movement shakes her from her daze. Another shape enters her world and brings with it the blinding light of another, distant place from this dark and cozy corner._

 _An unknown sound, soft but strange, permeates the calm rustling and mewing of kittens. The warmth is gone, the steady beating with it._

 _The new voice is joined by a familiar one. They speak, though the kitten knows not what of. She is too young._

 _Something about a rowan, something about a star._

 _Some cat, somewhere, is growing old._

 _And one cat needs to go_ home _._

 _She does not know what that means. She has no concept of growing or old. She is just a kit. But she does know what home is._

 _The warmth returns, and settles once again by the kitten's head. This time, both bleary eyes take their rest. A smooth voice purrs a rumbling purr and a warm, rough feeling spans the kitten from tip to tail._

 _She mews, her companions mew back._

 _One does not. It will die._

 _But not yet._


	2. Prologue 2: Parting Clouds

_The bright sun filtered in through the tunnel leading to the sky._

 _The kitten learned of it yesterday._

 _But there is a new discovery every day._

 _She sits by herself on a tiny nest of pebbles. Dirt rains around her as her once unknown companions enjoy the great indoors._

 _The bright one, Dawn, kicks up a storm as she marvels in the twisted cavern of their home. Her smoky sister Echo is not far behind._

 _But far enough. Echo falls._

 _She has too many paws._

 _Too many toes._

 _Gorse, the darkest and the biggest of the litter, pitter patters towards the sitting kitten._

 _She moves over._

 _He hesitates._

 _He sits._

 _They huddle against each other, remembering the feeling from their time as tiny, helpless kittens._

 _They are still tiny._

 _They are still helpless._

 _His ear twitches. He wants to say something. He doesn't. Kits don't usually act like this._

 _The kitten yawns and stretches out her little legs and her nimble tail. Yawns are contagious, so Gorse yawns too._

 _The sisters continue to play in the dirt as their mother watches and purrs. She calls out every once in a while when the kittens become too rowdy._

 _But there is one more._

 _A fifth kitten watches from the sidelines._

 _Gorse watches him._

 _He pays soft attention to the white kitten, the different one. He is smaller than the others, but mews just as vibrantly._

 _Or maybe his mew is just wetter. Sicker._

 _Gorse turns to his silent littermate. He is soft._

 _She is not._

 _He is a flowering gorse bush._

 _She is the prickly thistle._

 _A new cat approaches their mother. Thistle's nose crinkles. He smells like dirt and some strange plant he once called "catmint"._

 _Thistle thought it was strange that there was a mint just for cats._

 _Acorn - as she now knows the smelly cat is called - was once a stranger, one of the colourful blobs dancing across her vision. He is now very familiar._

 _He visits every day._

 _He takes her tiny brother away._

 _This day is different. It is not Acorn that will take Cloud away today. No, this time, Cloud will live up to his name._

 _He will join the ancient cats in the sky._


	3. Prologue 3: A Passing Storm

_The moon has only cycled a few times in Thistle's life._

 _The first time, she grew from a hapless, mewling bundle into a lovely little kitten. The third time was when her brother got his Clan name, when he passed on, and when Thistle began to curl in on herself._

 _Now the moon has cycled six times since her birth._

 _A new moon._

 _A new stage of life._

 _A new place in the Clan._

 _Dawn is grooming herself, this is a big day and she refuses to look like some fluffy kit._

 _She does not. She is bigger._

 _Echo sits, with no comment but definitely concern. Gorse lets their mother fuss over him._

 _Thistle lays in her nest. She snores halfheartedly._

 _Dawn gives a rumbling laugh as she grooms her back left leg with vigour._

 _Their mother is not done with Gorse._

 _Echo hasn't moved._

 _It's time to leave._

 _The light hits Thistle as she clambers out of the mess of roots that hide their camp. This is the first time she has been outside._

 _She doesn't know whether she craves it or despises it._

 _Probably both._

 _Her eyes adjust slowly. Dawn stumbles. Echo trips twice. Gorse follows their mother closer than ever before._

 _Welcome, calls the trees, welcome to the real world, this is home._

 _The winding trees and roots, the dense bushes, they are all new to Thistle and her siblings. Gorse pauses at a plant. He parts his mouth._

 _Mmm… citrus._

 _Thistle pays no attention. Her freshly green gaze is focused instead on a plump not-kitten sitting on a low branch. Watching._

 _She can't remember whether it was rabbits or squirrels that could climb trees. Either way, she knows that they both taste good._

 _Thistle looks back. Her family follows behind her. All of them._

 _Her father walks side by side with her mother, her father's sister not far behind._

 _The head of their family weaves through the dense forest flanked by her one of her two seconds - Thistle does not know her name._

 _She knows the head's name, though. She is Sagestar, the wisest of heads Thistle has ever seen._

 _Thistle has only seen two._

 _The extended family, that she now knows is known as Darkkin, makes their way towards the gathering place of the whole Clan._

 _She has never seen so many cats in her life._

 _Groups of cats - all ages, all ranks - meowing greetings and hushed whispers. Each came with their own kin, but now they mix among themselves._

 _Seven small groups._

 _One massive Clan._

 _As they make their way down to the awaiting kin-groups, Dawn rubs against her, sensing her unease and perhaps attempting to rub off some of her confidence._

 _It is not Thistle who needs it._

 _Darkkin settles next to Cinderkin, their closest neighbours. They have a long history of sitting side by side._

 _The heads each climb atop the mountainous tree stump overcome with fungus. It sprawls over far more space than the tree trunk ever filled._

 _It fills Thistle with awe._

 _And disgust._

 _Who would want to walk on fungus?_

 _It takes a minute or so for silence to overcome the excited greetings of old friends, cautious mews of new friends and stoic nods towards old rivals._

 _Thistle sits with her littermates. They huddle. They make no sound, as though they are mute._

 _A small, dark figure slips into their group. He asks their names, and offers his. He is Nettle from Cinderkin, and he is becoming an apprentice today. They reciprocate the gesture and yes, so are they._

 _For some reason, not all of them look happy._

 _A shrill call. Turned heads. There are new apprentices today._

 _Dawn._

 _Gorse._

 _Thistle._

 _Prickle._

 _Nettle._

 _Lark._

 _Frost._

 _There are more, but Thistle doesn't notice, or care._

 _Cloudfrost had always looked forward to this day._

 _Echo sits on the sidelines as her name is called. She is a healer. She cannot walk properly, how could she ever become a warrior?_

 _Names are chanted, praises are sung, young warriors are appointed, older warriors retire. The littermates feel nothing but melancholy._

 _But Dawn shines in the rising sun._

 _This is who she is meant to be._

 _Not everyone gets that happy ending._

 _On the way back to camp they pass Cloudfrost's mound. Where he lay when the starry kin in the night sky put him to rest._

 _The littermates walk past. They pause._

 _They keep walking._


	4. Allegiances

VALLEYCLAN

 **DARKKIN**

 **HEAD**

SAGESTAR - _tall, muscular she-cat with short blue-gray fur, amber eyes and many scars_

 **SECONDS**

BIRCHPOOL - pretty short-furred black she-cat with brindled bicolour white spotting and blue eyes

SLIGHTBRIAR - _tiny long-furred light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes_

 **HEALER**

ECHO - _stocky light gray long-furred mackerel tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and green eyes, has extreme polydactyl in her back paws_

 **ELDERS**

DUSTSTRIKE - _grumpy dark gray tom with fading fur in his old age and amber eyes_

WILDSPOT - _thin and wiry tortoiseshell tom with haphazard white spots and green eyes_

 **WARRIORS**

SPARROWHEART - _sturdy, light brown short-furred ticked tabby tom with dark amber eyes and large paws_

EMBERSTRIPE - _youthful light ginger tom with white spotting everywhere but a stripe down his back, ears and tail, has blue eyes_

RAVENTAIL- _heavy long-furred grey tom with black tips on his tail and ears, has hazel eyes_

APPRENTICE: DAWN

HONEYFROST - _lean short-furred cream tabby she-cat with white mittens, a white blaze and hazel eyes_

APPRENTICE: GORSE

ALDERBERRY - _sturdy short-furred dark ticked tabby brown tom with white paws and green eyes, has polydactyl - two extra toes on his front left paw_

STONECLAW - _large, short-furred gray tom with white paws and amber eyes_

APPRENTICE: PRICKLE

IVYCLOUD - _large light gray tabby she-cat with high grade white spotting, blue eyes and a missing ear_

APPRENTICE: THISTLE

MAPLEHEART - _stocky, long-furred red-brown tabby she-cat with hazel eyes and a white blaze_

CLOVERTAIL - _tall long-furred ginger mackerel tabby she-cat with harlequin white spotting and green eyes_

 **QUEENS**

MALLOWFLIGHT - _thin short-furred torbie and white she-cat with one brown eye and one blue eye_ (mate: STONECLAW, kits: PLUM, BEECH, RED)

 **APPRENTICES**

THISTLE - _lithe short-furred brown mackerel tabby she-cat with white mittens, underbelly, tail tip and chin, has green eyes_

GORSE - _large dark long-furred mackerel tabby tom with a white underbelly and green eyes_

DAWN - _slim short-furred cream-coloured mackerel tabby she-cat with green eyes and a white underbelly and tips of paws_

PRICKLE - _big black long-furred tom with thin dappled white spotting and amber eyes_

 **CAMP KITS**

PLUM - _short-furred grey tabby she-kit with blue eyes and mask and mantle white spotting_

BEECH - _long-furred cream-coloured tom-kit with transient blue eyes and white paws_

RED - _tiny short-furred ginger tabby tom-kit with transient blue eyes_

 **DEN KITS**

NONE

 **CINDERKIN**

 **HEAD**

DOESTAR - _long-legged light brown she-cat with white hind legs and brown eyes_

 **SECONDS**

BOUNCESTEP - _large long-furred grey tom with white paws and blue eyes_

THRUSHTAIL - _short long-furred dark brown tabby she-cat with a large tail and hazel eyes_

 **HEALER**

OWL - _tall, long-furred fawn tom with a white tuxedo pattern and blue eyes_

 **ELDERS**

FERNHEART - _small, long-furred black she-cat with green eyes and a fluffy tail_

HALFTAIL - _tall, short-furred black tom with a white underbelly, a white muzzle and brown eyes, missing half of his tail_

 **WARRIORS**

TALLFLOWER - _tall, short-furred ginger she-cat almost completely covered in white spotting, has blue eyes_

APPRENTICE: FROST

TAWNYFROST - _muscular cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes_

APPRENTICE: LARK

PINEWHISKER - _light brown spotted tabby tom with white paws and hazel eyes_

FROSTFERN - _pretty dark grey tabby she-cat with van white spotting and brown eyes_

APPRENTICE: FENNEL

SNOWBREEZE - _large short-furred white tom with green eyes_

APPRENTICE: NETTLE

 **QUEENS**

ASHFEATHER - (mate: SNOWBREEZE, kits: ONE, POD, MOTTLE) _fluffy dark grey she-cat with amber eyes and a lighter mane_

NIGHTBREEZE - (mate: PINEWHISKER, kits: BERRY) _small black she-cat with white paws, a white blaze and brown eyes_

 **APPRENTICES**

LARK - _lithe dilute tortoiseshell and white she-cat with soft but dark blue eyes_

NETTLE - _small and lithe short-furred black tom with amber eyes_

FROST - _tall, long-furred white tom with amber eyes_

FENNEL - _slim light brown she-cat with green eyes, short fur and a long tail_

 **CAMP KITS**

BERRY - _fluffy dark russet gradient she-cat with brown eyes and long fur_

 **DEN KITS**

ONE - _wiry cream and white tabby tom-kit with one blue eye and one brown eye_

POD - _tiny tortoiseshell she-kit with transient blue eyes_

MOTTLE - _larger mottled white and brown tabby tom with transient blue eyes_

 **BRIGHTKIN**

 **HEAD**

JAYSTAR - _small grey and white mottled tom with blue eyes_

 **SECONDS**

BLUESPECK - _short, mostly white blue-grey tom with brown eyes_

QUICKSHINE - _skinny long legged and sleek pelted silver tabby she-cat with grey eyes_

 **HEALER**

SUNNY - _tall, tan she-cat with white spots on her muzzle and hazel eyes_

 **ELDERS**

SNEEZECLOUD - _fluffy black she-cat with grey paws, a white patch on her nose and green eyes_

SNOWWHISKER - _large, dark grey tom with a white-speckled muzzle and brown eyes_

 **WARRIORS**

SNOWSPOTS - _muscular black tom with white dappled spots and green eyes_

APPRENTICE: APPLE

SORRELCLOUD - _tall grey-brown, long-furred tabby she-cat with hazel eyes_

APPRENTICE: KESTREL

HAILSKIP - _large silver tom with blue eyes and tabby markings only on his extremities_

APPRENTICE: CLEAR

CHERRYNOSE - _small russet-brown she-cat with grey eyes and a distinctly pink nose_

 **QUEENS**

FAWNSONG - (mate: HAILSKIP, kits: RUSH, FEATHER) _small red brown she-cat with a cream belly, soft brown speckles and green eyes_

MORNINGFERN - (mate: SNOWSPOTS, kits: GOLDEN) _tall fawn colourpoint she-cat with amber eyes_

 **APPRENTICES**

APPLE - _dark ginger tom with pale ginger paws and a strip going from nose to tail tip, green eyes_

KESTREL - _tall brown tabby she-cat with big paws and amber eyes_

CLEAR - _short_ _grey tom with white paws and blue eyes_

 **CAMP KITS**

RUSH - _wiry, dusty brown tabby tom-kit with pale brown eyes_

FEATHER - _course-furred tawny tabby she-kit with transient blue eyes_

GOLDEN - _fluffy golden-brown tabby she-kit with transient blue eyes_

 **DEN KITS**

NONE

 **BREEZEKIN**

 **HEAD**

SOFTSTAR - _small and fuzzy pale cream she-cat with white paws and soft blue eyes_

 **SECONDS**

NIGHTBLOSSOM - _slim and sleek-pelted black she-cat with a long tail and green eyes_

DUSKFALL - _stocky and long-furred ash-grey tabby she-cat with amber eyes_

 **HEALER**

WHITE - _lean white she-cat with hazel eyes_

 **ELDERS**

JAYWHISKER - _dark grey tabby tom with white spotting on his muzzle and blue eyes_

BEESTRIPE - _chubby cream tabby tom with white paws and amber eyes_

MEADOWBREEZE - _scrawny light brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and green eyes_

 **WARRIORS**

FROSTDAPPLE - _muscular short-furred calico she-cat with blue eyes_

APPRENTICE: STORM

AMBERFLIGHT - _tall ginger tom with a white tuxedo pattern and brown eyes_

BLUEMIST - _small blue-grey she-cat with sleek fur and blue eyes_

LEOPARDSPRING - _large ginger spotted tom with a white blaze and hazel eyes_

APPRENTICE: ICE

 **QUEENS**

BLIZZARDLEAF - (mate: AMBERFLIGHT, kits: SPARROW, DEER, CHERRY) _dark brown tabby she-cat with harlequin white spotting and blue eyes_

 **APPRENTICES**

STORM - _large long-furred dark gray tabby she-cat with a white tuxedo pattern and amber eyes_

ICE - _tall, long-furred white she-cat with amber eyes_

 **CAMP KITS**

NONE

 **DEN KITS**

SPARROW - _small brown tabby tom-kit with transient blue eyes_

DEER - _short, light brown tabby tom-kit with a white tail and transient blue eyes_

CHERRY - _fluffy dark ginger she-kit with white paws and transient blue eyes_

 **OAKKIN**

 **HEAD**

HERONSTAR - _very tall pale grey tabby tom with black-tipped ears and tail and blue eyes_

 **SECONDS**

CREEKRUN - _fluffy pale ginger tabby tom with white mittens and green eyes_

MINNOWSTEP - _large dark grey she-cat with hazel eyes and a short tail_

 **HEALER**

TOAD - _tiny short-furred black and white tom with brown eyes_

 **ELDERS**

MARSHFOOT - _tall, long-furred black she-cat with white paws and amber eyes_

 **WARRIORS**

SILVERMIST - _sleek silver she-cat with grey eyes_

DRIFTPATCH - _large, russet tabby tom with white paws, a white tail and blue eyes_

APPRENTICE: REED

MOSSFOOT - _long-legged brown tabby tom with large paws and hazel eyes_

SHYFIRE - _tiny, long-furred white she-cat with amber eyes_

APPRENTICE: FROST

 **QUEENS**

QUICKSTREAM - (mate: DRIFTPATCH, kits: MIST, HOLLOW, WILLOW, PATCH) _tall, thin-furred light grey she-cat with amber eyes_

 **APPRENTICES**

REED - _tall brown tabby tom with brown eyes_

FROST - _large white she-cat with pale blue eyes, is deaf in one ear_

 **CAMP KITS**

NONE

 **DEN KITS**

MIST - _light grey tabby she-kit with blue eyes_

HOLLOW - _dark grey tom-kit with white paws and transient blue eyes_

WILLOW - _fluffy black tabby she-kit with transient blue eyes_

PATCH - _grey tabby tom-kit with tuxedo white spotting and blue eyes_

 **CLOUDKIN**

 **HEAD**

DOVESTAR - _short, soft grey tom with amber eyes and a white tail_

 **SECONDS**

FROZENCLOUD - _slim pale blue-grey she-cat with brown eyes_

FAWNTAIL - _fluffy fawn and white she-cat with amber eyes and small paws_

 **HEALER**

ASH - _long-furred dark grey she-cat with grey eyes_

 **ELDERS**

ROSEWIND - _tall, pale flame point she-cat with large ears, a long tail and blue eyes_

DEADEAR - _half-deaf muscular black tom with brown eyes and white paws_

 **WARRIORS**

BLIZZARDFUR - _wiry long-furred white tom with brown eyes_

BLUEFIRE - _muscular dark blue-grey she-cat with bright amber eyes and large claws_

HIDDENCLOUD - _dark grey-brown tom with small white paws, a white blaze and grey eyes_

LIGHTNINGFOOT - _large cream tom with white paws and green eyes_

APPRENTICE: LOUD

 **QUEENS**

HAWKCRY - (mate: BLIZZARDFUR, kits: SWALLOW, FLUTTER) _pretty light brown tabby she-cat with one white paw and amber eyes_

SWIFTSHADOW - (mate: LIGHTNINGFOOT, kits: BRINDLE) _pale brown tabby and white she-cat with dark blue eyes_

 **APPRENTICES**

LOUD - _large, ginger tabby tom with long fur and amber eyes_

 **CAMP KITS**

SWALLOW - _small, light brown tabby tom-kit with white paws and green eyes_

FLUTTER - _fluffy cream tabby she-kit with a white muzzle, white tail and hazel eyes_

 **DEN KITS**

BRINDLE - _large tawny she-kit with white paws and transient blue eyes_

 **HEALERS**

 **HEAD**

SILVERSTAR - _large pale grey tabby she-cat with a white face and blue eyes_

 **HEALERS**

ACORNFUR - _stocky long-furred brown tabby tom with brown eyes and a shuffling step_

APPRENTICE: ECHO

FLINTBREEZE - _small and short-furred dark grey tom with dark grey eyes_

APPRENTICE: OWL

PALEFLOWER - _muscular pale cream she-cat with white paws and green eyes_

APPRENTICE: SUNNY

DAWNSTRIPE - _pale ginger tabby she-cat with all-white markings except for a stripe down her back, ears and tail, has brown eyes_

APPRENTICE: WHITE

BROOKFEATHER - _long-furred_ _dark brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and blue eyes_  
APPRENTICE: TOAD

STORMEYE - _massive silver tabby tom with one brown eye and one blue eye_

APPRENTICE: ASH

 **ELDERS**

MORNINGOAK - _long-furred russet she-cat with brown eyes and one white ear_

SANDSTRIPE - _light tawny tabby tom with green eyes and one white paw_


	5. Chapter 1: The Night Cedar

THISTLE

The sun still sat low in the sky as the lithe brown she-cat padded the moss and twigs. She nosed in some dove feathers - an unnecessary action, essential only to stall time - and padded those down as well.

A low growl interrupted her mindless motions, "Hurry up, dormouse, I don't have time for your dawdling."

Sighing, Thistle finished fixing the nest and padded out of the warriors' den to meet her new mentor.

Ivycloud was a massive she-cat, taller than most of the warriors in Darkkin. She wrinkled her nose and swished her tail as she waited for Thistle to emerge from the den in which she had been working.

It was dark in the twisting underground camp as Thistle made her way over to Ivycloud, ducking under some inconvenient roots quite a few times.

Thistle passed her towering mentor slightly before stopping.

"Yes, Ivycloud?"

"We don't have time for this, training starts immediately," barked the tall white and grey she-cat, "Stoneclaw will join us after he and Prickle finish hunting."

Thistle's green eyes rolled and she padded off to the exit tunnel without waiting another beat. Her wiry tabby fur concealed the muscles lining her lean frame, but they were visible as she neared the dim light of the early sun peeking in through the lip of the tunnel.

Grumbling, Thistle twisted her way out of the thick, winding roots that concealed the camp and stepped into the dense forest, her mentor not far behind. She clambered over a fallen tree and paused in wait.

Without another word, Ivycloud took off into the dense forest.

"Hey!" Thistle yowled after her mentor. She stumbled over a root and sprinted in the direction Ivycloud had gone.

This was the first time Thistle had ever been in the forest by herself, and she was not going to let herself be left behind.

Ivycloud's white-spotted grey tabby fur was barely visible through the undergrowth, but Thistle kept her sights trained on it. Her muscles burned as her short legs struggled to keep up with fast-paced blur that was her mentor.

She twisted around trees, ducked under fallen logs and ran straight through brambles - something she would later regret painfully.

All of a sudden, the blur skidded to a halt.

Thistle used up the rest of her remaining energy to sprint the rest of the way to catch up. She panted and wound around a tree as she approached her mentor, who had now turned around to impatiently wait for her.

Thistle growled at the smug expression painting Ivycloud's rough features and flattened her ears. The sky darkened overhead.

Thistle growled, furious. "Where in Starkin am I?" The surrounding trees had become even denser, and Thistle was trying desperately not to stumble over the mess of roots and brambles that covered the forest floor.

"We are in the forest."

Thistle groaned at Ivycloud's matter-of-fact response before she took a wrong step to the side and skidded down a muddy slide to a clearing that had - to her - previously gone unnoticed.

Ivycloud slid effortlessly down behind her, and twitched her whiskers at her apprentice.

"This, is the Night Cedar," meowed Ivycloud. There was a strange texture to her voice, almost like… pride?

Thistle paused in confusion for a moment, they were in a bare clearing, but her attention was soon drawn to the massive tree that dominated the others.

Her mouth parted as her gaze slid up the massive cedar. It hadn't been visible from the undergrowth from which they emerged, but Thistle wished it would have been. She had never seen a tree so utterly colossal.

Thistle felt something hit her over the head and turned around to see her mentor swishing the offending tail. Ivycloud's expression turned serious and she dug her paws into the ground.

"Let's get started, already," growled Ivycloud, "Show me your fighting stance."

Expression dampening, Thistle glared at her mentor and widened her stance. Without warning, Thistle leaped forward and lashed out her front right paw - claws sheathed - at Ivycloud's head.

Surprised but unimpressed, Ivycloud made no move to counter as Thistle's paw came down on her head. She stood still as her apprentice attempted again with the other paw, to no avail. Thistle growled in frustration as Ivycloud shook her head.

"You have no strength behind your attacks," she meowed, "You need to use the power from your whole body."

"Yeah yeah, okay."

Another swipe. This time, a side-step from Ivycloud.

"I don't think you're hearing me," she meowed, "You have no control."

A jolt of anger rushed through Thistle. Taking a step back, she shook her pelt from the kicked-up dirt and tiny pebbles.

She had left scratch marks in the ground, not realizing that she had unsheathed her claws. Glaring at Ivycloud, Thistle took another two steps back with her white paws - only to bump right into the Night Cedar.

She realized her mistake a moment too late when Ivycloud lunged at her, taking Thistle by the scruff of her neck and tossing her to the side.

As she crashed into the ground, Thistle paused in a haze.

She clambered onto her feet and ducked this time, only for Ivycloud to spin and painfully kick her back with her powerful hind legs. A numbing pain spread through her torso from the impact of her mentor's paws.

Thistle smashed back into the tree and heaved to regain her breath. Her mentor stood barely a fox-length away, gazing coolly at her reeling apprentice.

"What," Thistle huffed, "is with that mange-ridden tree?!" In her frustration, she whipped the tree with her tail, only to regret it when it began to ache shortly thereafter.

Ivycloud noticeably tensed, her tail pausing in its motion. She shook her head to try to contain herself, but her eyes still glinted. She was livid.

"Watch your mouth, snake-tongue," hissed Ivycloud, eyes clouded, "That 'mange-ridden tree', as you so eloquently put it, is the pride and joy of Darkkin."

Thistle looked up, taken aback and a little wary. "What do you mean?" She mewed softly, still panting.

"What do I mean?" Ivycloud breathed in and out slowly. "I mean, this was the place where Darkkin began. This is where Nightflower birthed her and Cedarwing's kits, where Darkfrost became Darkstar."

Thistle's bright green eyes widened. She had never heard of that before, how did she not know something this important? A wave of curiosity flooded through her and drowned her previous anger.

"It's where we train our apprentices," Ivycloud continued, "and where we take our kits to see the outside world before they can do it themselves."

Thistle could hardly remember those days in early kithood, when her mother and father would take her and her littermates on walks through the forest. When Gorse would cling to Clovertail like his life depended on it, Dawn would meander around to explore and Alderberry would watch poor, stumbling little Echo like a hawk.

And Cloudfrost. She couldn't bring herself to think about him.

A loud rustling from the forest interrupted Thistle's racing mind. A fluffy, white-speckled black body barrelled down the slope into the clearing alongside a much larger grey one that tumbled down with just as much energy.

Ivycloud composed herself and turned to face the larger of the two. "Good morning, Stoneclaw," she meowed with an accusatory lilt to her voice, "Nice of you to join us finally."

"Nice to see you, too," meowed the amber-eyed tom politely, ignoring Ivycloud's snark. "Where did you two leave off in your training?"

Leaving the two warriors to talk, Prickle stalked over to where Thistle stood against the Night Cedar. She bristled at the older apprentice's demeanour, but he paid no mind.

Twitching his whiskers, Prickle meowed unexpectedly softly. "I can't say I know how you feel, but I've seen Ivycloud in action." He paused, considering his next words. "She's scary when she wants to be."

Relieved, Thistle nodded.

Their mentors called them over - or rather, Stoneclaw called and Ivycloud barked impatiently - and Prickle sent a silly face her way, sticking out his tongue and crossing his amber eyes. Her whiskers twitched in laughter.

"Okay," meowed Stoneclaw, "we'll begin with showing Thistle the hunting stance."

"What? I thought we agreed on the leap-and-hold?!" Ivycloud bristled next to Stoneclaw, who merely rolled his eyes.

"I told you, Ivycloud, that's ridiculous to expect from a new apprentice."

Ivycloud huffed. "Oh sure, mentor my apprentice for me."

"I would gladly," replied Stoneclaw. Ivycloud widened her eyes and whipped her gaze over to the older warrior.

"What?! You can't do that… Can you?"

Twitching his whiskers, Stoneclaw turned to the two apprentices who sat next to each other, each slightly concerned.

"So," he mewed, "The hunting stance, then?"

Both Thistle and Prickle nodded enthusiastically as Ivycloud tried to relieve herself from her stupor. She clambered to her feet when her three Clan-mates began to start the training without her and trotted quickly after them.

Thistle dropped to her interpretation of the hunting stance. Her tail swished lightly as she tried to focus.

"Try t—" Stoneclaw's advice was interrupted by Ivycloud who, at this point, was absolutely fed up with the situation.

"You're doing it all wrong," she growled. "Your belly is brushing the ground, your claws should not be unsheathed and for Starkin's sake, keep your tail still!"

Thistle bristled at her mentor's intruding voice, but did what she was told. Almost instantly, her muscles relaxed and she stalked forwards with ease.

Ivycloud scoffed. "Better, but you've got a long way to go."

The light shone through the canopy overhead, the morning coming to an end along with Thistle's patience.

"I have done this move forty times already!"

"Well clearly that's not enough considering you still haven't got it right."

"No one asked you for your opinion, Prickle."

Thistle, by now panting in exhaustion, was getting snappier by the second. Prickle had quickly taken to the obnoxious position of being better than her at everything.

She thought about what an arrogant smart-ears he was, and told him just that.

Prickle's whiskers merely twitched in laughter.

Ivycloud rolled her eyes and growled at her fellow warrior. "Keep your apprentice to yourself, Stoneclaw, mine's enough of a nuisance already."

"It's sweet to see you taking your apprentice's side like that, Ivycloud," replied Stoneclaw.

Ivycloud just grumbled.

Standing up, she shook her pelt. "What's your deal, fuzzball, tired already?" she growled at Thistle, trying to disprove Stoneclaw. "I've been up since dawn too, don't think you're the only one that's tired."

"Yeah, well you get to sit there and watch me get beaten by this smart-ears", Thistle replied. She immediately regretted those words.

"There! You admit that I am better than you," cried Prickle triumphantly. He stood up straighter and puffed out his chest.

"I don't need to, feather-brain, you do it enough yourself already."

Tired of their bickering, Stoneclaw stood up and stretched a long, long stretch. He turned to his apprentice, pride evident on his kind face.

"Well, I think that's enough for now, but we should be doing this more. Prickle, you're well on your way to becoming a warrior, but watch your stance when you strike your opponent like that."

Ivycloud yawned and stood up next to Stoneclaw, towering over him.

She flicked her tail to let the apprentices know it was time to leave. Prickle perked up, excited to finally return to camp and Thistle followed suit, albeit in a mellower fashion.

Stoneclaw and Ivycloud both clambered up the slope out of the clearing with ease. Stoneclaw waited patiently at the top while his companion, who was not one to wait around, wasted no time in stalking off in the direction of the Darkkin camp.

Waiting for Prickle to go first, Thistle twitched her whiskers as he confidently strutted up the slope only to quickly slide backwards onto his rear end.

He grumbled and meowed, "You give it a try, smart-ears. It's harder than it looks."

Thistle cautiously approached the slope, determined to prove the other apprentice wrong. She paused to see that her mentor was, in fact, waiting for her, and placed her paws carefully into the footholds that the warriors had used.

Confident that she would make it, Thistle unsheathed her claws and accidentally tore off some of the dirt onto which she was gripping.

Thistle gasped as her claws slipped. She ignored Prickle's teasing laughter as she fell in the same manner that he did.

Stoneclaw leaned over the edge, meowing gently. "Never unsheathe your claws, and keep an eye out for roots that you can grip on to. I know you'll get it eventually."

Ivycloud huffed and sat down, bored with the others.

Prickle looked at Thistle expectantly, almost as if daring her to go again. She was not one to back down from a challenge.

This time, she made it. Following the same method she used the previous time, Thistle adjusted to what Stoneclaw had advised. When she reached the top, Prickle's jaw dropped.

He too climbed the slope, mimicking Thistle, and made it to the top.

"Yes! Take that!"

Thistle rolled her eyes. Prickle was always fun to be around.

On their way back to camp, Prickle spotted a squirrel and decided to show off his hunting skills. Thistle, eager to learn, joined him.

They worked together to catch it, Prickle stalking it before pouncing and herding it into Thistle's waiting claws.

Their mentors watched, both proud but only one showing it.

Ivycloud stalked ahead of the small group and entered the camp first. She squeezed herself through the winding entrance and did not wait for the others before sitting down to eat.

Prickle let Thistle enter first, flicking her head with his tail, and then he and his mentor followed.

As Thistle wound her way through the roots, she was met by Gorse who had been waiting at the entrance for her to return.

She greeted her brother with a lick to his forehead, and trotted over to where her two sisters sat.

Every day, the four littermates ate all together, no matter the circumstances. If they could not eat together, they did not eat at all.

Luckily, they usually found time.

Thistle, who had been carrying the squirrel, lied down beside Echo. Gorse then lay beside her.

Dawn licked her lips at the fresh-kill, and Echo motioned for her to go first. Turning to her other sister, Echo pressed against her.

"How was your day with Ivycloud," she purred, whiskers twitching.

"Ugh, don't even get me started."

Prickle, who had been walking past with his own meal in his jaws, laughed and almost dropped his mouse.

"Hey, Prickle!" Gorse perked up his ears at his fellow apprentice. They had been best friends ever since kithood. Prickle dipped his head in greeting, gesturing that he was going to go eat.

Dawn passed the squirrel over to Echo, who took it eagerly. Now free to speak, she flicked Thistle with her tail over Echo's back.

"I feel for you," she meowed sympathetically before switching her tone to a teasing one, "Raventail is a much better mentor." She stuck her tongue out at her sister, who groaned in response.

As Echo passed the quickly diminishing squirrel over to Thistle, their father Alderberry sauntered over to where his kits sat.

"Hello," he purred, "whose catch was that?"

Gorse nudged Thistle teasingly, indicating that it was her catch. At least, partially hers, but he didn't know that.

"It's great to see how well you're doing, Thistle. I imagine that Ivycloud doesn't settle for average in her apprentices." He chuckled as Dawn piped up.

"Raventail doesn't either, I'm going to be the best apprentice!"

"Yes, of course you will," purred Alderberry. "You, Gorse and Thistle were always my little warriors."

Beside Thistle, Echo stiffened. Dawn and Thistle purred at their father's praise, but Echo said nothing, instead ducking her head in shame. Thistle noticed that she tucked her back paws further underneath herself.

Thistle turned to her littermate, concern etching her features. Echo ignored her questioning gaze and instead leaned over to take another bite from the squirrel.

Gorse also stayed surprisingly silent, nodding at Alderberry's words but not responding. He finished off the remainder of their meal.

Concerned for her littermates but unsure what to do, Thistle stood to shake off her pelt. "Do you guys want to sleep for a bit? It's been a long day for all of us," she mewed.

"Sure, let's get some rest," replied Echo, glancing gratefully at her littermate. The other two stood up as well and they made their way over to the apprentices' den.

The four of them squeezed one at a time through the short tunnel that lead to the dark den. All four pairs of green eyes adjusting to the darkness, the littermates padded over to their respective nests.

Four pairs of eyes blinked and closed for the night.

A brown she-cat stood in a green expanse stretching father than the eye could see.

There was a small white cat standing in the grass not a tree-length away from her.

This couldn't be real.

Yet there he stood, the once sickly and pale cat, in all his kitten glory. He was no longer weak, nor frail.

He was Starkin, and he was beautiful.

The she-cat stumbled over her own feet, desperate to get closer. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she could not reach him.

A voice rang out in the vast emptiness. A sweet meow, no longer wet and weak.

She hadn't heard it in ages.

Pleas- ister l- you- ere- time- chao- ing- ou- stop it- ork t- ether!

No! She couldn't hear him, the voice was fading!

The tabby she-cat tore across the field as fast as her legs could carry her, but it wasn't fast enough.

The greenery disappeared into the stars as everything faded away.

All that was left was the echoing of one last call.

A question.

A plea.

Thistle jolted awake. She panted as she relaxed, her muscles having tensed in her sleep. As she glanced around the den, she saw three other pairs of green eyes fly open.

A voice permeated the darkness.

"What are you mouse-brains doing? Go to sleep, already." It was Prickle, grouchy from having being woken up by the sudden commotion in the den.

"Nothing," replied Dawn.

The littermates glanced at each other, unsure. They did nothing. Said nothing. They went back to sleep.

Thistle could not.

She tried, she really did. Body still and breathing lightly, she certainly appeared asleep. But her green eyes were wide open, staring.

She waited.

Silence.

She waited some more.

When she was sure that the other apprentices were asleep, she slowly lifted herself out of her nest, paws treading lightly on the dirt floor of the den.

Pausing as though to shake her pelt, Thistle stopped herself before padding quietly over to the exit.

As she passed Gorse, his green eyes flew open.

Thistle stilled, unsure if he could see her. His eyes moved in her direction and she tensed. He looked at her, his eyes boring holes into her own.

He nodded at her, acknowledging her presence, and rested his head back in his nest.

Thistle sighed in relief.

She passed through the tunnel and snuck her way out of the camp, darting past the entrance to the elders' den and padding lightly over the underground nursery.

After she had made her exit and was sure the camp was far enough behind her, Thistle took off into a run, revelling in the freedom of just running through the forest.

She paid no attention to time nor any paths, just darting, weaving and leaping through the dense undergrowth.

After some time, she began to pant and slowed to a light trot.

Breathing in the forest air, the sweet aroma of flowers hit her nose.

Looking around herself, Thistle noticed that the trees were farther apart, and there were some types that she had never seen before - not that she had seen many.

A strange smell interrupted the flowery aroma. A cat.

A small black head peeked out from behind one of the trees. The head tilted to one side, confused at the sight of the Darkkin apprentice, and the rest of the body emerged.

"Thistle?" The small tom mewed softly, "What are you doing here?"

It was Nettle, the apprentice from Cinderkin. She was surprised that she remembered that much from the Gathering. He was smaller than Thistle remembered, but no smaller than she.

His amber eyes burned in the dim light of the evening forest, awaiting Thistle's response.

"I was just… Well I couldn't sleep so I decided to explore, I guess. You?"

Nettle nodded. "I'm out hunting, my patrol just left camp."

"Wait, does this mean I'm on Cinderkin territory?" Thistle took a step back. "Can— am I allowed to be here?"

Nettle twitched his whiskers. "Of course, we're all part of the same Clan."

"I know," Thistle sighed. "I'm just paranoid."

Nettle paused. "Do you want to help me hunt?" He stepped closer to the Darkkin apprentice, tone lilting.

"Sure," she meowed. She padded off towards a small stream that ran between the two territories. "How about here?"

"Sure, let's start looking."

After some time, they had both caught a vole each. Thistle showed off her first true catch and Nettle did the same with his.

After they had buried their voles for Nettle to pick up later, the two apprentices raced alongside the stream. When Nettle won, Thistle - usually the bitter type - congratulated him with a warm purr.

After some time of chatting effortlessly with the tom, Thistle couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Soon enough, a voice called from beyond a small hill, beckoning for Nettle to return. Uncovering the buried voles, he waved goodbye with his tail. "I'll see you again?"

Thistle nodded. "Definitely." Despite the cool night air, she felt warm.

As she padded back to her camp, following her own scent, Thistle couldn't help but feel that she had made a true friend.


End file.
